The Phoenix Curse (Book 2): After

by D. R. Johnson

  Reed had a solid grip on my arm. Not tight enough to hurt, but tight enough I wouldn't be able to get away easily. He knew I wasn't going to try to escape. The real grip he had on me was Joss.

  As Reed dragged me out the door, I cast one last look toward Hawk and saw he had his jaw clenched as he watched me go. My eyes only met his briefly, and I wished I was able to decipher his thoughts. He looked angry.

  An old black truck waited for us outside, and Reed made sure I climbed into the passenger seat and shut the door for me. When he was the only other one to get in the truck, I found it odd that none of the guards were joining us. At that point, I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but I figured the latter. My mind was racing, trying to figure out I was going to be subjected too.

  We were only driving for a few minutes before I started to recognize landmarks. It seemed he was taking me to the southern part of the city, back to the area where we had been captured.

  "Where are we going?" I finally found my nerve, aided by the anxiousness that was roiling around in my stomach.

  "Just a little test." He said cryptically. "Don't worry, Ali. If you fail, I'll make sure Joss is well taken care of. I never said you had to make it back alive."

  I cringed. The dread I had felt earlier was now justified. It was futile trying to think through my options because I knew I didn't have any. The skinning knife safely tucked in my boot was useless. Any way I looked at it, Joss or I ended up dead at the end. It seemed the only thing I could do was suffer through whatever Reed had planned.

  By the time we were pulling into the neighborhood, I had a white knuckled grip on the door handle with one hand, and the other was clenched so hard I could feel my nails digging into my flesh.

  Reed passed the house we had been staying in. He was driving slow, searching for something. Once he spotted what he was looking for, he drove the truck across an overgrown lawn and into the backyard of a house where the fence had been knocked over. He halted the truck next to a pool that had been mostly drained, but several freaks milled around inside it.

  The face-eaters still littered this area, and the noise of our approach had drawn a curious crowd. Even the freaks in the pool had migrated towards the truck as we drove in. I stared at them all nervously, but Reed slipped out of the truck without any hint of worry. I still wasn't able to fathom what he had planned, but had I feeling I wasn't going to like this at all.

  A few freaks had wandered close to the truck and he brushed them away as he walked to my side. Opening my door, he unceremoniously yanked me to the ground. I struggled some, not wanting to give away how much I knew, and he pulled me all the way to the deep end of the pool. I was pushed in without a word.

  I fell hard, landing wrong on my ankle and slipping to the ground. I barely managed to stifle my scream as I landed in a shallow pool of disgusting water. I pulled myself to my feet as quickly as I could, gagging at the foul smell and then groaned as all the freaks in the pool turned to face me. I froze, unsure of how to play this out.

  Reed snarled as he spoke. "Well," he called down, "Sneak past them."

  I looked to each one of them as they stared back at me, but they didn't advance. My hate for Reed was making it hard to put on an act of fear when I knew I wasn't in any danger from the freaks.

  As I glanced up at Reed, I wiped my hands on my jeans, trying to remove the filthy water before turning my attention back to the face-eaters trapped with me. I snorted, unable to even try to act like I was afraid of them now. That time had passed.

  "What are we, Ali?" Reed crouched down at the edge of the pool to speak to me. I found it hard to get used to the lack of emotion in his voice. It still chilled me. "How long have you been this way?"

  "For a while now." I said just loud enough for him to hear me. I knew the freaks wouldn't attack, but I didn't want them coming any closer, either. I still didn't have Walter's gift to just shoo them away.

  "And little brother? How long has he been a monster?" He hissed the word at me, and I shuddered. It concreted my new, damaging self-image in my mind.

  I answered in the same flat voice I had used before, "Just a few months."

  "Who have you killed, Ali?" The lack of emotion in his voice was starting to hint at something more. Something dark and buried deep. The way he continued to use my name unnerved me as much as the question did. He knew. He'd seen me bite Russell. He had to have known all along.

  "Just one." This time I didn't think my voice was loud enough for him to hear me, but it still felt like he knew what I had said. He moved to the ladder and stared down at me, silent and menacing. Some of the freaks turned to regard him as his shadow fell across the pool.

  Not wanting to press my luck, I limped to the ladder, pushing the freaks out of the way as I went. I had to pull myself up with my arms, keeping what weight I could off my tender ankle while still favoring my sore shoulder. I had barely made it to the top when Reed grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me a few feet across the concrete.

  I struggled enough to get myself to my feet, but his grip in my hair was unrelenting. My teeth ground together, stifling a scream.

  He led me towards the truck, and when we were a few feet away, he threw me against it violently. My body slammed hard against the side, my wounded shoulder absorbing the brunt of the hit. I grunted in pain and tears blurred my vision for a brief second before I could blink them away.

  My first instinct was to fight. I wanted to rip his eyes out with my bare hands. As I turned to face him, I knew he could see the rage burning in my eyes. The look of fury in his one eye matched mine, I was sure of it.

  Several red strands of hair were still tangled around his fingertips, and that fueled my hatred all the more. It was a struggle to force myself to stand down even knowing I couldn't win. He would be the victor in a death match, but, in that moment, I was willing to die trying to take him down with me.

  But I couldn't. Joss's safety loomed in my mind and overshadowed my rage. Reed intently watched me for the long minutes it took for me to back down. I continued to glare at him, even as I realized there was a disconcerting smirk growing on his face. Once again, a chill of revulsion ran through me.

  He stepped closer and pushed the passenger door open wide. I slunk a few steps away, but his iron grip caught my arm and he threw me against the seat, trapping me with his body. As he pressed against me, I squirmed, trying to pull away, but his hands dove into my hair again. Fingers twisted painfully into my thick curls and he jerked me upright against him, his face just inches away from mine.

  "What did you do to Russell, Ali?" His breath washed over me, a twisted smell of rot and peppermint. I tilted my head away as far as he would allow, trying not to gag.

  "I bit him." I said through clenched teeth, desperately wanting this moment to end.

  "What happens when you bite someone, Ali?" He said, unrelenting now. I squirmed again, trying to push him back, but his hold on me tightened, crushing me until I could hardly breathe.

  "They turn." I finally spat out, glaring at him.

  "Where's Russell?" He asked, pulling one hand free of my hair. The release of the pressure was almost a relief, but it was short-lived as his free hand gripped the front of my shirt.

  "I don't know." I said weakly, tensing as I dreaded what he was going to do next.

  "Where's Russell?" He asked again, his tone told me he was losing patience.

  "I don't know!" My voice rose in volume, spurred on by the increasing tension.

  The sound of ripping fabric pulled a scream from me, one born of pure panic and revulsion. A scream I was unable to stop.

  He slammed his hand down over my mouth, silencing me. I clenched my eyes tightly closed, trying to shut out the world.

  His voice ground out again. "Do you know what happens when you make love to your wife? Do you know what happens to her when you're like me?"

  My eyes snapped open to look Reed in the eye. It was glowing with a sadistic light, and I was unable to swall
ow. I shook my head no, even though I knew what the answer was.

  His hand let go of the torn fabric of my shirt and his fingers brushed over my pale skin, pushing the cloth aside until he uncovered the pink scar of the bullet wound. It may have been healed, but it was still tender. He pushed his thumb against it and dug down into my skin until he found the pain, and a torturous howl ripped from my lungs.

  The pain thundered through me and still he didn't relent. He kept digging and I kept screaming. I sucked in another breath to let out another agony filled shriek and squirmed futilely, still trapped underneath his body.

  He finally pulled his bloody thumb back and my body went limp, exhausted and spent, but terrified. He wasn't finished with me. He was just getting started.

  "You're going to be a good girl now, aren't you, Ali?" He asked in a sweet, sickening voice. I swallowed the salty, vomit-inducing saliva in my mouth and nodded, wanting to kill him but knowing I couldn't. As long as I lived through whatever he was going to do to me today, I would find another day to end him.

  He finally released his other hand from my hair, and I let my head fall backwards, hanging limply as his hands went to my waist. My pants were baggy. I knew they would be no obstacle for him to remove.

  He froze for several agonizing seconds until I looked up, wondering if he was thinking of a more devious plan. I only saw him staring into the distance as if listening to something. A desperate hope sprang to life inside me, and I strained to hear what had gotten his attention, but it was short lived.

  Reed moved on. His attention was back on my jeans and he had them loosened and falling to my knees. As he grabbed me by the arm to spin me around, I felt the oddest sense of relief knowing he wasn't going to bother with my boots. As the cool air brushed against my naked thighs, I clung to the small victory that my little knife was safe.

  I tried not to sob when he pulled back to fumble with his own pants, but then he froze again. I didn't dare raise up or look back, but I listened. I finally heard it.

  The rumble of another vehicle.

  It was faint at first, but it was definitely there. I managed to lean up enough to see the freaks had heard it too and were starting to shamble towards the noise. Reed put a heavy hand against my back and lowered me back down.

  After several moments with no movement and the sound of the other vehicle coming closer, I dared a look back over my shoulder at him. He was scowling, staring at what I assumed he could see of the road.

  The sound of gunfire shattered the silence and I heard a voice calling out through a loud speaker.

  "Reed!" It was full of distorted static, but it was understandable. Another round of gunfire and whoever it was yelled again. "Reed!"

  "Fuck." Reed spat, grabbing me by the hair to jerk me up to him. "Don't think this is over, whore."

  And then he let me go.

  Stomping back around to the driver's side, he yelled over at me. "Get in the truck now, or you can stay here and Joss dies."

  I barely got a grip on my fallen pants as I scrambled into the truck. I was struggling to put myself back together, unable to believe my luck, as Reed had the truck roaring and the wheels spinning in the soft grass as they tried to find the traction to reverse. Deep ruts were left in the lawn as Reed got us back out to the road.

  Then I saw my savior.

  Hawk was standing in the back of a jeep, holding a megaphone. The tall, lanky guard that had been holding Joss hung out the passenger window with a rifle and was shooting the freaks that made it too close.

  "Russell's been turned." Hawk said into the megaphone. Then it dawned on me why he was using it. The freaks hadn't frenzied. The ones that were being shot were just drawn in by the noise.

  Reed scowled as he pulled up alongside them. Hawk turned a knob on the megaphone and continued to speak into it, but the volume was lower now. "Terry and Oscar were dead before we knew what was happening."

  Reed didn't even acknowledge him. He slammed the pedal down and the tires were smoking as he peeled out, running over all the freaks that had wandered into the street. I looked back to see Hawk duck down and the driver pulled the jeep around, running over the lawns and any freaks that got in their way.

  Thank you, Hawk. I thought to myself. Thank you for figuring something out.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Reed muttered incoherently the whole way back. He was a storm of anger and rage that I feared. I shrunk down in the seat, trying to make myself invisible. My bleeding shoulder was throbbing and my ankle was swelling, but I still felt I'd made it through this encounter unscathed. I wanted to look behind us again to make sure that Hawk and his crew were right there, but I didn't dare move any more than I had to. I didn't want to do anything that would attract Reed's attention.

  Within a few minutes we were back at the hotel. Reed immediately left the truck, slamming the door without even a glance back at me. I sat alone, listening to the trucks internal cooling noises as I watched the hated man stomp across the parking lot. A few men ran out to greet him, and he waved one of them in my direction. I cringed lower in my seat, recognizing him from earlier. He was the fat, sweaty man that had been guarding Joss.

  Reed had been protected under the clause of his safe return with me, but this man was not. Would they kill Joss if I stabbed tubby in the eye? Or if I bit him? The thoughts were fleeting because the risk was too high for me to seriously consider taking any action. I would have to continue to suffer through any abuse these men wanted to throw at me.

  Tubby made it halfway to me when the jeep pulled up. As the men climbed out, I saw the tall, shaggy haired man again. He tossed me a quick glance and nodded in greeting, but he only received a blank stare from me in return due to my uncertainty of the situation.

  Hawk immediately came to my door as a third man, the driver, exited the jeep. He was a muscular dark skinned man, with a shaved head and dark brown eyes. He nodded a greeting to me just the same as the tall kid had, and he joined him off to the side. They both turned to watch Tubby approach us, although the confidence in the fat man's steps faltered.

  Hawk opened the door, ignoring everyone else. "Are you hurt?"

  He sounded so sincere and I was so desperate to believe him, but I clung to my reservations. My reply was a shake of the head.

  "Liar." He snorted as he leaned in over me to look at my shoulder. A frown furrowed his brow as he huffed angrily. He leaned in closer to me, asking "What else did he do?"

  "Nothing too bad." I finally said, reaching up to rub the back of my head. I could feel the tender spots where he'd ripped the hair from my scalp. My voice felt hoarse from the screaming. "You got there just in time."

  His sigh was of relief. I didn't want to believe he was still acting. Everything about his demeanor was genuine. "Good. I was afraid it had taken us too long."

  He glanced over his shoulder at the men that had been in the jeep with him and whispered quickly to me. "The skinny giant is Tristan, and the Puerto Rican is Miguel. You can trust them both. That fat, walking bag-of-lard coming at us is Allan. Feel free to bite him all you want."

  Hawk leaned back just as Allan rounded the front of the truck. Sweat was beading on the big man’s forehead, adding to his already slimy look. "Reed says to take her back to her room."

  "I got it." Hawk said, squaring his shoulders to Allan.

  Allan squinted, grumbling at Hawk. "Reed said I'm supposed to take her back to her room."

  Hawk stepped closer to Allan, only a few inches taller than him and probably only half his weight, Hawk still looked incredibly intimidating as he growled his response. "I said, I got it."

  As if that wasn't enough, both Tristan and Miguel took a couple steps forward, effectively announcing their presence and glaring hard at Allan. Allan's eyes regarded them quickly, then flicked back to Hawk. "Reed's not going to like this."

  "Then I'll take it up with Reed." Hawk didn't miss a beat.

  Allan snorted and turned to waddle back to the hotel. "Have it your way then. Slut ain't
worth it."

  "Jackass." Hawk said under his breath as he turned back to me, offering me his arm.

  "Thank you." I whispered, truly meaning it. My nerves were frayed and my emotions were so jumbled I couldn't make heads or tails of them right now.

  Taking his arm, he helped me stand and discovered the injury to my ankle when I had to lean on him heavily. Other than a scowl and a curse under his breath, he didn't say anything else about it. He just supported my weight as I limped slowly along back to the hotel, my right hand clasping the rags of my shirt closed. Miguel walked on the other side of me, but Tristan ran on ahead, disappearing through the doors long before we made it there.

  Once inside the hotel, I was surprised to see how vacant the lobby was. A guard stood at the pits, talking to a middle-aged woman who didn't seem to be a prisoner. She glowered at me, and I wasn't looking forward to walking past her. Surprisingly, Hawk didn't lead me that way.

  "You'll be in my room for a little bit. I'll just tell Reed I have to patch you up again." Hawk said as he led me in the opposite direction. I tensed, fearing his room momentarily until I remembered that Hawk could have attacked me in my own room at any time. I relaxed as he led me down the hallway.

  Hawk helped me to his chair, and as I sat down, I was so thankful to be off my feet and in a place I felt some security in. I blushed a little as he pulled the tattered end of my shirt away from the new wound Reed had given me, but he put it back quickly.

  "I'm glad you heal fast." He sighed, going to his closet and coming back with a plain white t-shirt, then pulled out some bandages and dropped them on the desk. "I hate to leave you like this, but can you handle it? I need to be out there right now."

  "Go." I said, taking the items from him. "I'll be fine."

  He paused for a second to stare down at me intently before he spoke again. "There's so few of us against them, but we've been planning this for a while. You helped tip the scales." He reached out and gently brushed the backs of his fingers against my cheek. I froze, but didn't shy away this time. "Thank you."